Men in their 20s and 30s are reporting “copulatory impotence,” which is the inability to maintain an erection with an in-person sexual partner. These men report they still objectively find their partner attractive, but need to fantasize porn-like scenarios to get or maintain an erection.

The abundance of Viagra and Cialis commercials portrays erectile dysfunction as a normal, common phenomenon. Not, however, for men under 40! It’s the porn!

For those of you following the appeal of CA Assembly Bill 1775, all hope is not lost …

The California Supreme Court has granted review of the petition for yet another appeal regarding AB1775! This can only be good news, as the Supreme Court typically receives about 4,000 petitions per year and only grants about 60.

Lead attorney Mark Hardiman explained that the Supreme Court granting this petition means they will hear an appeal to the Court of Appeals’ decision on Mathews et al v. Kamala Harris. This typically means that the Supreme Court believes the Court of Appeals decided the case incorrectly, in whole or in part. Hardiman adds, “That does not, however, necessarily mean the Supreme Court agrees with our interpretation of the law.”

To check out the series of court documents, see specific links below. Countless hours have been spent researching, preparing, filing, appealing …

There have been significant fees and expenses in fighting AB1775. If you are so inclined or inspired, I know the folks who have committed their time and resources to this cause would immensely appreciate any contribution!

We talk a lot in treatment about compulsive behaviors functioning as self-soothing mechanisms. In the 5-Day Intensive Outpatient Program, we construct a genogram of each participant’s family history. Invariably, someone will say “Yeah, whatever. I don’t want to waste time blaming my parents for my being a sex addict.”

It’s always tough at this juncture. As clinicians, we want clients to accept responsibility for choices made. Yet we also want to present some explanations (not justifications and not excuses!) for how these coping mechanisms might have come into being: What emotionally dysregulating material is present, and how does sexually compulsive behavior obliterate those intolerable feelings?